My morning paper has just told me that designer logos and acronyms are going out of fashion. This could be bad news if the distaste extends to the social housing world. We thrive on acronyms for new organisations – I am always wary of embarrassing or confusing results from an enthusiasm for catchy new names. One I exchanged with a client sounded to us like a Spanish footballer. Certainly the pressure on all of us to find better ways of “doing” stock investment and social regeneration is leading to a multiplicity of new “vehicles”.

Prime minister Tony Blair was once accused of writing speeches where the same key “warm” words could be placed in a different order and still have the same meaning (or lack of it). The same is often true of our “community”, “regeneration”, “investment” and so on.

We should, however, resist cynicism. Although some phrases may be no more than repackages of old and tired ideas, we should not be put off – if only to show the world, particularly residents, that there is a constant effort to reconsider current approaches.

And, occasionally, there are real breakthroughs. One or two are in the pipeline at present and some will be launched shortly. The government is undertaking its “how to improve transfer” (aka PSA Plus) review and it has been attractively open to suggestions. If this means some new acronyms, so be it.